A portable electronic device can be constructed using any suitable approach. For example, a “bucket” type approach can be used in which a first housing component serves as a bucket into which inner electronic device components are placed, and a second housing component serves as a cover for the bucket. This arrangement secures the electronic device components between the first and second housing components. As an example, in the bucket configuration the cover can include a bezel and window that are assembled over the housing.
As another example, a portable electronic device can be constructed using a “tubular” approach in which electronic device components are inserted into a hollow housing element, such as a tubular structure (e.g., a flattened tube or a hollow rectangular tube) The electronic device components can be inserted into the tubular structure from one or both ends, and connected within the structure. The structure can be capped at one or both ends to ensure that the components remain fixed within the tubular structure, and to provide interface components (e.g., connectors, buttons, or ports) for the device.